A/N: It has been a long, long time, but I'm back at it again with PJO! I've actually had this done for a few months, but I never got around to publishing this :/ Also, I just had to really think and work with this one. It's one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I hope this is all worth it! The rating is T, but dark/mature themes are woven into this, so I'm not sure if I should bump it up to M? I mean, I don't think I'll be going into anything graphic. If it happens, I will warn you.

The title comes from Mumford and Sons' Dust Bowl Dance. This is part two of Badlands (I renamed the series). It takes place during The Battle of the Labyrinth.

Translations are at the end of the chapter.

After Bianca and the other ghosts left, it was only Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, Nico, and Catelyn. After Bianca left, Nico stomped away from everyone angrily. Catelyn knew that the young boy was heartbroken, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She couldn't help but think of her youngest brother and their younger sister. Did they act like this after I was gone?

She shook her head violently. Now was not the time to think about them.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Catelyn's eyes widen and she turned back to see that the boys and the girl with them were staring at her, not quite knowing what to say or do. Catelyn offered a smile.

"I am sorry, where are my manners?" she asked rhetorically, her thick accent cutting in the air. "I am Catelyn Schrier. I am the daughter of Hades. I suppose I would be both, Nico and Bianca's older sister."

"There's more children of Hades? I thought he didn't break the pact!" the satyr spat—not out of hatred, it was more fearful, Catelyn noted.

Catelyn's eyebrows furrowed. "What pact?"

"After World War II, the Big Three made a pact that they would no longer have children, since you're too powerful. Zeus and Poseidon broke it though," the girl answered her. She seemed to be wary of Catelyn as well.

"Oh. Well, I can tell you that my father broke no such thing. He's a very honorable man, if I may say."

The boy with the jet black hair—Percy, Catelyn remembered—and the blonde haired girl looked at each other. They were having a silent conversation about her.

Catelyn couldn't sleep that night.

The group all decided to stay at Geryon's mansion that night. Grover and Percy had bunked on the couches in Geryon's living room. Annabeth, Catelyn, and Nico had rooms. Catelyn and Nico were sharing a room and Nico was currently passed out in the bed. At least, he was pretending to. Catelyn could see that he was heaving heavily. She assumed that he was crying. Of course, Catelyn wasn't going to let on that she knew. She did not lay next to him. Instead, she sat in a big, comfortable chair, legs crossed and watching him intently.

Geryon was someone Catelyn did not like nor trust. She had a feeling that he would try something. But that wasn't why she couldn't sleep, however.

She couldn't sleep because her past was haunting her.

What happened to me?

Catelyn knew the basics of herself. Her name was Catelyn Schrier. Right now, she was fifteen years old. Her family consisted of her mama, her two brothers (one of them was her twin), two younger sisters, and the boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. Most of them were dead, save for her younger brother and sister. Max and Becca. She was a Roma, Jewish girl living in Germany. What else was there to tell?

Catelyn rolled up her jacket's sleeve, staring at what was on her arm. She couldn't recall what it was, but she knew that no one else could know.

Eventually, sleep one Catelyn over for at least an hour.

One hour that consisted of horrible nightmares.

"You guys could come with us," Percy blurted out. It was the next morning and the ones on the quest were going back into the labyrinth. Percy was offering Nico and Catelyn that they could go with them, but the children of Hades both denied.

"I need time to think," Nico told Percy. His eyes were rimmed red and his face was chalky white. He was wrapped in a big, black robe and it was obvious that it was too big for him, or for anyone else for the matter.

"Nico," Annabeth started. "Bianca just wants you to be okay," she glanced at Catelyn. "And I know Catelyn does, too." Annabeth tried to put a hand onto the younger boy's shoulder, but he pulled away from her and trudged back up to the house. Catelyn watched him go, her heart feeling heavy.

Percy looked at Catelyn. "Catelyn?"

"That is very kind of you to offer, Percy, but no thank you. I must stay here with Nico and watch out for him. That is what families do for each other," Catelyn answered, turning her head back to the boy. She was also in a similar state as Nico. It was obvious that she had cried last night. Her eyes too were rimmed red and her thick curly hair was a mess.

"I'm worried about him," Annabeth said.

"As am I," Catelyn said. Before anything else could be said, she went back up to the ranch house. Truth be told, she did not want to be there, but she wanted to help Nico.

"You need to leave, Catelyn. Go to the camp."

"Nico, for the last time, I am not leaving you down here by yourself! It is too dangerous!" Catelyn argued with her little brother. She became quiet with her next sentence. "I don't trust anyone here, Nico. I just don't. And I can't leave you. What if something happened?"

"I appreciate that you're trying to protect me, Catelyn, but you have to go. I want to be alone," Nico explained to her. "Besides, I know that you don't want to be down here, either."

Catelyn sighed. Nico was right. She wanted to protect him. She didn't want him to suffer the same fate as Jimmy or Ruthie had. Nico knew how she felt about being down in the labyrinth. She didn't like it one bit. And as much as she understood that he wanted to be alone…

"Catelyn, please, go to Camp Half-Blood. They will keep you safe there."

"Nico, you know that I do not like camps," Catelyn reminded him.

"This camp isn't like that one, Catelyn. They train demigods there."

"But I don't need to be trained."

Nico sighed. His older sister was acting difficult. Was this how Bianca felt with him when they were younger?

"Catelyn, just go."

Catelyn stared up at the sign that welcomed her to Camp Half-Blood.

"This is the camp that Nico told me about," Catelyn said to herself. She took a deep breath.

"Don't worry about this one, Nico said not to worry. They will keep me safe here."

With one final mental push, Catelyn walked in. She walked slowly, cautiously. She had no idea what she was going to get into and she was terrified.

Catelyn looked around, studying the camp. Nico was right, this wasn't like her past. As far as she could tell, she would be alright staying here.

"Hey!" Catelyn turned to who was yelling at her. There were two boys who looked awfully alike. Were they twins? The thought made her feel sad, as she thought about her own beloved twin. "Are you new here?"

Catelyn forgot to answer for a moment. She was too busy staring at the two boys. Her eyes were glistening. "I am. I need to speak to…" Catelyn furrowed her eyebrows. Oh, what was his name? She remembered that it started with a 'C', just like her name. "Ch—Ch—"

"Chiron?" the second boy offered her.

Catelyn gave him a smile. "Yes. Yes, I need to speak to Chiron."

"What's your name?" the other boy asked her.

"What are yours'?" Catelyn retorted.

The boy smiled mischievously. "I'm Travis. This is my brother, Connor," he gestured to his brother. "And before you ask, we are not twins."

They're not twins. I can do that.

"Alright, Travis and Connor we-are-not-twins—"

"Our last name is Stoll."

"Travis and Connor we-are-not-twins Stoll," Catelyn continued. "My name is Catelyn Schrier. May I please speak to Chiron, now? It's extremely important."

"You are not from here," Chiron observed. Travis and Connor had brought this young teenager to him as he was teaching an archery class. By the way she looked; the centaur knew that she was not from the area. It was even more noticeable when she spoke. He quickly took her back to the Big House where they could speak privately.

Catelyn nodded. "Arvah. Ja, sir. I believe I was born in Germany."

Believe? What was that supposed to mean.

"What do you mean 'believe', Ms. Schrier?" Chiron asked. Chiron was certain that he knew that name from somewhere but his memory was getting to him.

"I remember living in Germany. I'm just not sure where I was born. If not Germany, then Poland for sure. That's where my grandfather was from."

"So you're European," Chiron stated. Catelyn looked up from where she was playing with one of her sleeves, giving him a look.

"Nein. I'm Russian."

Chiron massaged his temple with one of his hands. This girl was being difficult. Why couldn't she just be straight with him?

"When were you born, Ms. Schrier?"

Catelyn pounded on it. "I...May? I think I was born in May. In 19…" Catelyn's answer shocked Chiron.

"Ms. Schrier, are you sure you're telling me the correct information?"

Catelyn rubbed the left side of her temple. "I…yes. I know that for sure."

"Ms. Schrier—"

"Could you just please call me Catelyn? Or Cat? Something besides 'Ms. Schrier'? It gives me bad memories," Catelyn shuddered. She had put it up long enough. Her left hand was pressing against her temple while her right hand was grabbing the opposite arm.

"Of course. My apologies, Catelyn," Chiron agreed. "But do you mind me asking if you know what year it is?"

"Well, someone told me earlier, I think. But I remember it being 1943?"

Chiron paled at her answer. He was dealing with a demigod out of time.

"Catelyn, I need you to tell me everything."

It took quite a while, Catelyn told Chiron everything that she could. By the time she finished, she was sobbing.

"I..I don't remember anything else. I'm sorry. All I can remember is my family and…"

"Relax, child. It will be alright. Perhaps when Mr. D returns—"

"Mr. D?" Catelyn questioned.

"It's Dionysus, but when he's around, call him Mr. D. As I was saying, when he returns, maybe we could ask him to help you? We could ask one of his sons to help, but I fear—"

"No, no. Do not worry, Chiron. I will wait," Catelyn informed him rather hastily. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face her past so soon. As much as she was desperate for answers, she wanted to wait.

"I will take you to the Aphrodite cabin. They will have plenty of clothes for you there."

Chiron and Catelyn were walking to the Aphrodite cabin when Castor and Pollux came along.

"Chiron! Who's this?" One of the boys asked. Catelyn studied them. They both had blond hair and violet eyes—a pretty color, Catelyn thought. Prettier than her own dull gray eyes. They weren't athletically built, but that was fine. They were identical, so they must be twins. There was no way that they couldn't be. They also happened to be tall, very tall. At least, they were much taller than Catelyn, who had to look up to see their faces.

"Hello, Castor," Chiron greeted. "And Pollux. This here is Catelyn. She's new to the camp. I was just taking her to see if the Aphrodite children could lend her something to wear. How about you boys take her for me? Show her around, perhaps?"

Catelyn quickly turned her head to look at Chiron, becoming suddenly fearful. What was he thinking? She didn't know these boys! For all she knew, they could kill her!

"We can do that," Catelyn assumed it was Pollux that spoke. "Can't we Castor?"

"Sure," Pollux's brother agreed. "Come on Catelyn," he made a hand motion as if to say "come on", but the young girl swiftly stepped back. It was clear to the three around her that she was scared.

"Ms. Schrier"—Catelyn shivered when Chiron called her that—"is very timid. Be careful around her. Go on, Catelyn. These were the sons of Mr. D I was telling you about, remember?"

"No," Catelyn answered truthfully. Chiron sighed. Not only was he dealing with a demigod out of her time, but she was also amnesic as well.

"And I may as well inform you two that she suffers from amnesia as well. Please, be careful with her. Catelyn, go with them."

"Must I have to?" Catelyn ask, her accent catching the boys by surprise.

"It will do you good," Chiron advised. "They won't hurt you. Right, boys?"

"Right," the boys chorused together.

"Very well," Chiron said. He watched as Catelyn hesitantly walked up to the boys.

"Guten tag," Catelyn said to the boys. "My name is Catelyn Schrier but...you could call me Cat, if you wish."

"Hi, Cat," one of the boys said. "I'm Pollux and this is Castor. We're twins."

The three demigods started to walk away to a place unknown to Catelyn. "I figured, you two look very much alike. I had a twin once…" she trailed off, starting to feel sad when she thought about her beloved twin. Lucky for her, the two boys didn't push her to say anything else.

"So…you're not from around here, are you?" Castor asked.

"You would be correct. I was living in Germany before I came here," Catelyn answered. She figured she could tell them that.

"You're from Germany?" Pollux asked.

"Ja."

The boys showed Catelyn around the camp. They showed her where the mess hall was, the cabins, training sessions, etc. Castor and Pollux where taking Catelyn to the Aphrodite cabin when they ran into Silena.

"Hey, Silena!" Castor called out to the girl. She had black hair and brown eyes. Catelyn had to admit, Silena was a very beautiful girl. "Can you come over here?"

Silena jogged over to the trio. "Hi Castor, hi Pollux. Who's this?" she looked at Catelyn. "I'm Silena Beauregard."

"I am Catelyn Schrier," Catelyn replied.

"Cat's new here," Pollux informed Silena. "And Chiron told us we needed to take her to your cabin for some clothes. Do you think you can help out?"

"Well of course I can!" Silena exclaimed. She grabbed Catelyn's hand, which made Catelyn squeak. She did not like being touched. Especially since Silena grabbed the arm that had the strange tattoo on it and it could be easily seen if the girls weren't careful. "Come on!"

"Um…be careful with her, Silena. She's very shy!" Pollux called after the two girls. He felt worried for Catelyn. She was rather a secretive person, sure, but Pollux was sure that she had her reasons.

"Bye Catelyn! We'll see you later!" Castor snickered, mostly at his brother. This did not go unnoticed by Pollux, who looked at him. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing," Castor gave his brother a smile.

Silena was very nice to Catelyn. The latter was not used to people being so kind to her. At least, it's been a long (so long) time since someone has shown so much sincerity to her.

Just because Silena was nice to her, Catelyn responded to in less of a sarcastic, trickster way and instead spoke to her in a quieter tone. Silena didn't mind that at all.

"So where are you from? Your accent sounds German, but there's something else that I can't place," Silena inquired, as she played with Catelyn's hair. She had told Catelyn that her hair was beautiful

"I lived in Germany for a while," Catelyn told Silena. "My family is from Eastern Europe, so maybe that is what throwing you off?"

"Okay," Silena accepted the answer. "Why did you come here?" After she had said that she thought that that was a stupid question, but Catelyn didn't seem to mind, even though she had hesitated on it.

"I came here because…I am needed. My phral needs me."

Silena paused, hearing the strange word come out from Catelyn's mouth. "Phral?"

At first, Catelyn was confused. "Phral? What do you mean…oh, you're saying 'brother'!"

"Brother?" Now it was Silena's turn to be confused.

"You just used Romani. Phral means 'brother'," Catelyn explained. Silena wasn't sure if any of this was adding up. Maybe she should talk to Chiron later.

"So you're here for your brother? Is he in the camp?" Silena asked.

Catelyn blinked for a few moments, trying to remember their most recent conversation. "Ah…ja! I am. I am."

"Is he here?" Silena asked. Catelyn shook her head no. Silena nodded in understanding, mostly to herself. Catelyn was an…odd girl to say in the least. Not that it was a bad thing! No, she was just very reserved, and gave a mysterious vibe which made everyone so far ask, "Who is she?"

This was Catelyn's first time eating in the mess hall. In fact, this was the first time of her attempting (key word, attempting) to eat in such a long time. In the end, she retired to the Big House early, where Chiron was allowing her to stay in. Which turned out to be a great idea, because in the middle of the night, she had woken up in a frantic mess.

She had fallen asleep around midnight, and woke up ninety minutes later, sweating and shaking. She had shot up from the bed she was laying, clutching her head. She was afraid.

She couldn't quite remember what the nightmare was about, but she knew it was not pleasant at all. The highlights she could remember was the hot sensation of torture.

As soon as Catelyn had shot up from her bed, she had rolled out of it, still tangled in the sheets as she fell onto the floor. She was in a panic as she tried to free herself, stumbling to the bathroom. She was cursing in all the languages she knew as she grasped onto the sink, forcing herself to not look into the mirror.

The young (yet so old) daughter of Hades could not calm herself down. The flashbacks she had seen and could still feel the effects of was still attacking her, like those horrid people had to her. Eventually she had vomited into the sink.

After Catelyn had gotten sick, all she could do was slowly sink to the ground. She rest against the cabinet, her legs brought close to her torso by one arm wrapped around them. Her free arm, she had found, was bringing her free hand up to one side of her head, clutching to her thick hair.

The demigod was finding herself to wonder if she can survive in this world.

Translations

Arvah - Yes

Ja - Yes

Nein - No

Phral - Brother